Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness because if you do you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived.

Novels are usually built on conflict, sometimes very, very difficult conflict. It's why men write war novels - because there you go, there's the conflict writ large.

Barack Obama presents as kind of a cool character, and I think that that's his natural personality.

I think that we really fool ourselves about our ability to be safe and secure nowadays.

I think when people keep saying to you, "You're good at this," you just keep doing it.

You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are.

There's some muscle group around your shoulders that seizes up during the perfection dance and doesn't let go until you are asleep, or alone. Or maybe it never really lets go at all.